Legend of Zelda: Memories of the Past
by Kyla of the Desert
Summary: Alone in this new timeline, only Dark remembers his past with the Hero... their friendship, their love... his betrayal. If Link regains his memories, will he still love his shadow... even after what he's done? DarkxLink AU Romance/Angst T for language and character death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

School was one of those things, Link decided, that came and went no matter how much effort was put into learning… so, if time would pass without him _trying_, what was the point? He was already stuck with insane classes to take: Hyrule History, where the textbook was conveniently titled "Hyrule Historia", was the worst. He and his best friend, Sheik, were the only two in the class who were on the brink of failing, and because of that, they were to report in an hour early every morning. Every single morning.

School was also one of those things, Link decided, that people could definitely live without.

It wasn't that Link _hated_ going to Courage High, because he didn't, but his history class frustrated him to no end. Some things that the teacher, Mr. Byrne, spouted from the textbook were fundamentally _wrong._ How in the world did the first hero, the Hero of the Skies, venture singlehandedly on his quest, not returning home, not even to get supplies? Link felt like there had to be _someone_ else with him on the quest, even if they weren't actively "saving the world" and "founding Hyrule". It didn't sit well with Link – the hero was still human…

Today, though, would be different, Link hoped. The teacher had given the two friends a strange look when he read over their test answers the day before and then simply said, "I'll see you tomorrow." No lecture, no disappointed glare… just a dismissal…

Soon enough, before he knew it, Link was seated in front of the teacher's desk beside Sheik who was leaning back lazily.

"The teacher tells _us_ not to be late…" The crimson eyed blonde mumbled vindictively. As if on cue, Byrne pushed into the classroom with two more books than usual and a strange expression.

"Glad to see you two could make it," he said as his usual greeting. He sighed as if something was weighing down on him… "I guess… you two have already caught on, slightly, to today's lesson. This is the last lesson you'll be receiving from me, and from then on you two will have to draw your own conclusions. The material for the rest of the year… I want you to interpret it in your own way. I will give you permission to not follow the curriculum." Link and Sheik looked at each other, sapphire to ruby, before turning back to Byrne wordlessly.

"The Hero of Time was said to have sealed the Master Sword away countless times, even being sealed away because of it," Mr. Byrne began, pointing to the board with his prosthetic arm. "He is the Goddess Chosen Hero, according to legend, and has saved Hyrule countless times." Byrne changed the slide to show an interpretation of the Hero.

"Hey, he looks like you, Link!" Sheik noted, earning a glance from Byrne.

Link frowned at the hero on the screen. His dirty blonde hair was painted harshly around his pale face, and his unnerving blue eyes glared down a sharp nose. On his ears, he wore two pale blue earrings to compliment his eyes. Before Byrne hit "next" on the PowerPoint, he narrated, "This is the Hero of Twilight. Unfortunately, like most of the other heroes, he lived in a time when cameras were not yet invented, so we do not know definitely what his appearance really is." The next slide showed the Hero of Legend next to the Hero of Twilight and the Hero of Time. Another picture showed the Hero of Winds, which was a photograph, surprisingly… the Hero of – the heroes ran together in Link's mind.

Maybe Sheik was right – the likeness was uncanny. They all had that messy mop of blonde hair, the green obsession – and his father had made fun of him for that! Ha! – and the piercing blue eyes. Each one had them, the eyes that seemed to burn through the screen. He realized how young the Hero of Winds was, with his childish round face, but his expression was one of determination. The Hero of Legend, the first hero, had a young look to his face, also. He had could not be plagued with the memories of past heroes, and his only purpose was to save his best friend, a reincarnation of the goddess Hylia.

The Hero of Twilight was the one that bothered him most, though.

This hero's eyes had the harsh slash of someone who'd suffered through too many battles, lived through too many lives. Like the Hero of Time, his eyes were old, his face angular… even his posture screamed _Fighter! _

Byrne went on, ignoring Link's wary look. "For each hero, there was likely a dark counterpart. The Hero of Time was famous for fighting his dark counterpart deep within a temple, succeeding and becoming stronger from the experience.

"The Hero of Twilight was explained to have known the story of Twilight, how dark interlopers were infesting the world. The Hero of Winds was spared this experience, but some other heroes, such as the Royal Engineer, also fought this dark interloper."

"What was the hero's name?" Sheik blurted. "I mean, all of the heroes. Were they named differently, or...?"

"No, they all have the same name. Quite simply, their name is Link." Link flinched and looked up, blue eyes wide. "Link is a common name in Hyrule, as is my name, Byrne. My namesake was said to have died in protecting the Princess and the Royal Engineer in battle with Malladus, whom you should remember from chapter fourteen."

Link nodded his head absently, frowning. Sheik sat up eagerly, waving his hand around. "Do I have a namesake?"

"Yes, in fact, you do. You are named after Sheik the Sheikah, who aided the Hero of Time in the second half of his quest. Although, Sheik never really existed, in actuality he was just—"

"Do you hear that, Link! We're probably part of some grand scheme, some legend, something bigger than all of us and-" Byrne held up his hand to stop the boy.

"The reason I'm explaining this is for that exact reason. The Hero of Time stumbled upon it, and I believe it's come into play once again… I do believe… that you two are connected to this timeline." The teacher dropped his pointer and leaned back against the desk, eyeing the two. "I want you two to tell me what you think – on Monday, of course. You are dismissed."

The two stood up and gathered their books. Byrne nodded and Sheik followed Link out of the room, talking eagerly. Link's mind was elsewhere, however.

If Link was connected to the prophecy… was everyone…?

* * *

Per Byrne's request, Link – he wasn't sure about Sheik – was going to draw his own conclusions about this school.

In high school, Link had learned things the hard way. There was always that one student out to get him, that one student who everyone forgot, and that one overly popular student… there was the girlfriend stealer – Link silently cursed that lavender haired weirdo, Vaati – the creep…

But, going back, there was always that one forgotten student. Amongst the students in the small high school – quite a few had ruby eyes, Link noted early on – there was one quiet student that he'd ran into a few times. In Freshman year, a few students had come up to him, shyly asking if he had a brother… maybe one with red eyes… the answer was always no. He didn't have a brother, last time he checked, but he did have a younger sister who, Link made certain of this, was off limits to all high school guys.

This guy, Link's "brother", was the kind of student to do his work and leave immediately, taking part in little to no social interaction. Link had done his research, via Zelda, one of the most popular girls in school… who also happened to be his best friend's sister….

Link's doppelganger was a dark haired teen named Dark, a quiet, thin guy with eerie crimson eyes that were always set in a glare. He moved about like a shadow, keeping an eye out for potential threats as if he were always under fire…

Of course, when Link looked for him, he looked for dark – most likely black – hair, and ignored everyone in the café whose hair was lighter than dark brown… and didn't notice the white haired teen standing in front of him.

"Excuse me," the crimson eyed boy said, hand half way out as if to brush Link aside. "I'd like to actually get something to drink, if you don't mind." As Link murmured a quick, "Sorry", and moved, their eyes met for a second, just a fleeting second…

… and all hell broke loose.

A fistful of Link's shirt later, Dark had the boy shoved against the vending machine, angry red eyes glaring into confused blue.

Link squirmed as he saw the conflict rage in Dark's eyes before settling with an emotion that startled the blonde. Pain.

"You… _left_ me…" Dark hissed up at him, arms shaking. He dropped Link back to the ground and Link tried to back up… only to run into the vending machine. He was trapped.

Dark's hands slammed on either side of his head, slapping against the dark plastic. Pale hair fell in a halo around the teen's bowed head, pure black hair at his roots.

"Uh… I-I'm sorry if I offended you in any way… I didn't…-"

"Stop," Dark said, his voice quiet. He stood up and turned around before Link could see his eyes again… or his face, that face that seemed so familiar… "I mistook you for someone else," Link could hear the lie in the other's voice. "I'm sorry."

The teen walked away stiffly, each movement carefully controlled, his left hand raising half way to his head… dropping dejectedly…

But there was something _wrong _about Dark's eyes, Link concluded.

"Link!" Sheik called from the left, eyeing Dark. "What did you _do?_ The guy looks destroyed…"

Link sighed worriedly, "I'm not sure myself…"

* * *

_Link found himself surrounded by a heartbeat loud enough to drown out his own, his face lying on smooth skin cool to the touch…_

_ Link's body moved on its own accord, turning over to face his sleeping partner. Dark. Something inside of Link's mind screamed for him to jump up in shock, but his body acted as if it were natural, rolling over and gazing at the clear sky. _

_ "Hold that pose," a voice said from next to him. A dark haired teen – no man… - leaned over, shining ruby eyes looking down at him. Unmistakably, these eyes could only belong to one person… Link so desperately wanted to move, to get out of this uncomfortable position. _

_ Listening, Link could hear water gently lapping at land around them, and the smell of moss, grass, and something sweet filled his nostrils. He inhaled, his body still moving on its own. _

_ "What?" Link didn't recognize his own voice – it was deeper…_

_ "I said 'hold that pose'. It's not often I get to see you smile, you know."_

_ "You make it sound like a bad thing…"_

_ Dark sighed, a small, exasperated laugh escaping. "It really is, you know? People worship you, but you make it seem like the life of a hero is always depressing…" Dark sighed again, rolling over. "Just… promise me something."_

_ Link's eyes shifted to look at Dark. "About what?"_

_ "Promise me that, after this is all over… promise me that you'll never stop smiling."_

_ "Where's this coming from?" _

_ Dark's ruby eyes shifted back to the cloudless sky. "It's just… it makes the sun shine a little brighter, you know? And the clouds a little less…" Dark's hand reached up and gripped the fabric over his heart. "A little less dark..." _

_ Link sat up. "Okay. Whatever. But you have to promise me something in return." Dark looked over at Link in question. "Whenever I smile, I want you to smile, too."_

* * *

When Link opened his eyes, his face was pressed flat against the unforgiving surface of a standard school desk. Mr. Byrne was droning on about something unimportant, and Link swallowed the panic that had risen in his throat. Byrne had given him direct permission to ignore class, hadn't he?

Cerulean eyes slid over to the figure hunched next to Link – Sheik was leaning back, sleeping as he had just been. In the back of the classroom, Zelda was staring intently at her cell phone screen and beside her… a white head was hunched in sleep, too. Link's eyes narrowed as he recognized the dark hair branching out from the roots. Blushing abruptly, he turned away and adverted his thoughts.

Apparently, he and Sheik hadn't been the only two given permission to slack.

His recon was done – he could peacefully sit in class and think without having to worry about getting scolded by a teacher for "Ignorantly ignoring my intense instructions!" like one flamboyant teacher, Ghirahim, had put it.

Link's mind drifted back… the dream was blurry, but Link could distinctly remember something about Dark. The Dark in his mind was different from the Dark he'd met at lunch – dream Dark had shimmering, hopeful ruby eyes, dancing with excitement… the real Dark had empty, crimson blood eyes that were dulled because of pain. The excitement was drained, the hope smothered.

_That's_ what was wrong with the boy's eyes. They were dead to the world, so unlike they were in Link's dream. The Dark with the life-filled eyes was _right_.

In a spur of the moment, Link pulled out his cell phone. _Zel,_ he texted quickly, _Tell Dark to meet me and Sheik outside of the café._

_Any reason why?_ Was the instant response.

_Did Mr. Byrne tell you anything strange today? _Link decided it'd be good to know who was in on the "no more history" routine.

_First teacher I've had that told me I didn't have to listen in class, if that's what you mean._ Link grinned inwardly.

_Yeah, that's what I mean. Sheik's in on it too… I want to know if Dark is, by extension._

_You act like you know him._ Zelda wasn't Zelda if not perceptive. Link frowned at his screen. His battery power was almost completely gone… and he'd _just_ charged his phone, too.

_I _feel_ like I should know him, if that makes sense._

_It doesn't, but whatever._

His battery died as soon as he went to reply. There was no time to mourn, however, because the bell rang, signifying the end of Link's last period of the day. He stood up quickly, slinging his untouched back-pack over his shoulder and running to get out of class. Behind him, Sheik and Zelda followed before Mr. Byrne suddenly reached out. A prosthetic limb prevented four students from leaving their last class… on a Friday… needless to say, the four were not happy.

"What?" Link asked irritably, frowning back to realize that Sheik, Zelda, and _Dark _were also trapped behind him.

"I need to talk to you four…" Byrne declared, motioning for them to have a seat. Link tossed down his bag and leaned against a front row desk, Sheik following suit. Zelda hopped up on the desk, crossing her legs and Dark stood behind a desk, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"I guess… tomorrow, I'll be taking you on a field trip of sorts." Byrne started, looking at the surprise on their faces. "I want you four to see the Legendary Master sword. I know this sounds like nonsense," Sheik snorted and Byrne shook his head, "but I do believe that this era has some connection to the last."

No one missed the glance Byrne gave Dark, who had settled for leaning against the far wall.

"You four are connected to this timeline – I'm convinced. There's no mistake." Byrne gestured towards a miniature statue of the Master Sword that sat on his desk. "I was raised to protect 'The Hero', as were my ancestors. 'Should the Hero ever come along,' I was told, 'guide him. Your ancestor would be proud.'" Byrne turned around and picked up the statue. "I shall guide the hero and his aides to the Master Sword…"

"If you want to spout this nonsense to your class of idiots," a quiet voice said, and three pairs of eyes turned towards Dark, "feel free. I'm not buying it." He stood up straight and grabbed his bag on one shoulder. "I don't see how you're qualified to teach this stuff."

"Oh, but Dark," Byrne said gravely, "you remember more than anyone else." Dark froze in a step but continued walking. "We need you to regain _our_ memories."

"So, this isn't just about 'The Hero', then? You want to get your past memories, too? Your ancestors? You want to remember how you died, right, saving _their_," he sent a glare at Link and Zelda, "meaningless lives?"

"I'm sure meaningless isn't what you want to use," Link began, standing up straight to look Dark in the eye. "Meaningless _wasn't_ what you wanted to use, was it?"

Dark grit his teeth, his pale face seeming even paler in the fluorescent light. "You… you don't remember…" He took a menacing step towards Link, his fists clenching and unclenching. "You _should_ remember what you did to me…"

"Dark," Byrne said stiffly, pushing an arm between the two. "He doesn't remember… but you can help him. Swallow your hatred, Dark, and we can _all _regain our memories. If you still feel the need to take revenge…"

"You don't know!" Dark shouted, stepping back in disgust. "You want me to 'swallow my hate'?" Suddenly, he laughed, dull ruby eyes going wide. "I think… I _know!_ You don't want one of Ganondorf's followers to _help_ you along on your quest, to relieve this world of _evil!_" He spat the word, licking his lips gingerly as if he could taste it on his tongue. "But, you think since the 'Hero' trusted me, and since we were…" he trailed off, narrowing his eyes. "Fine!" He shouted, as if someone had suddenly pressured him. "Fine, I'll help you get your memories, 'Hero'," He glared bitterly at Link, "But I can't promise they'll be pretty."

* * *

_This is pretty new for me - this story is kind of a "side quest" I'll work on while trying to complete my other Zelda AU fic titled Hands of the Dead. Thanks for reading - Desert_

_R&R_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Sky Child…_

Link sat up in bed, glancing at the clock. It was far from morning, he reasoned, having seen his window first. 1:00 AM. So he would inevitably lose sleep before the "big trip" later on.

His blue eyes gave him a fuzzy interpretation of his room, but blinking didn't clear away the haze in the dim light of his clock.

_Listen, Child, follow… show… place._

Link shook his hair out and sat up completely, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Who was whispering in his room? Did someone leave the television on? No… that wasn't right… he lived alone, now…

"Ignorant child," A voice sounded from Link's doorway and the teen proceeded in falling out of bed, tangled in sheets. He instinctively reached for his lamp, slamming his hand on it and activating the light…

A tall, think figure stood in Link's doorway, grey white hair falling over one eye. The man looked over, fixing his ear-ring before speaking. "I've been trying to wake you up for an hour…"

Link stared at the man, struggling to think straight. He took in the man's unnaturally tight clothes, along with the flamboyant red cape and… _purple eyeliner_?

"Mr. Ghirahim?!"

"Yes, child. Now, get yourself up and get dressed. We have much to discuss."

* * *

1:00 in the morning wasn't the ideal time to go for a quiet stroll, Dark knew, but it would have to do. The shady street was perfect – there wasn't a sound to be heard for miles. As soon as Dark walked by, he could just make out the scampering of small animals… then silence.

His sneakers on the cold pavement were a calming rhythm to his tumultuous thoughts. It was strange, how, over the years, the world changed. Dark looked down at the pavement, frowning. "How long was it from my past life to now?" he wondered.

In his past life, Dark noted, there was horse travel, not cars. Now, people didn't fight with swords, they fought with guns. But there were no monsters roaming the streets… unless they took a human form, and there were no castles and kingdoms that ruled over all.

Communication was efficient now – with his remaining power, it was an easy matter to drain a battery in a simplistic phone, as he had done many times before…

But life was definitely more dangerous. _People_ were more dangerous.

Dark shook his now white hair. Dying it had been a mistake, he knew now. Changing his appearance wasn't going to make Link remember him any faster… but did he want that? Did he want the Hero's love again, after what happened…?

Dark's sneakers on the cold pavement became a sickening rhythm. His black sneakers morphed into black and gray leather boots. The dark gray pavement morphed into light gray stairs, evenly spaced and spiraling. The emptiness in front of him changed into a green back that moved with a steady rhythm.

_"Wait, here, Dark." _The green back ordered, still running ahead up the stairs. Dark didn't listen, running behind him, dodging pieces of the crumbling castle.

_"Why?"_ Dark asked, _"It wasn't this way last time – since when did the castle crumble as we were going _up?"

A green head shook in the icy darkness and Dark realized that he was running alone along the empty street.

* * *

Link put up quite a fight against his intruder, but in the end, he was bested.

"Clam yourself, Sky Child!" The "teacher" shouted. "You are in no condition to fight _me._ I'd actually appreciate it if you cooperated." He sighed when Link slumped down, determined to make it hard for Ghirahim to "kidnap" him.

Yawning, the teacher reached down and bound Link's wrists together in one quick motion and gagged him with a flick of his wrist. He reached down and slung Link easily over his shoulder, ignoring the teen's uncomfortable squirms. The thin man marched towards the front door, shivering slightly at the cold air – he'd been forced to abandon his warm cloak during the struggle – and slammed the door behind him. Lifting his unoccupied hand – his left hand – up, he brought his fingers together in one quick motion, leaving behind a cloud of diamonds and the sound of a snap ringing through the night.

They appeared in a meadow that was inexplicably glowing. To the far right of Link, there was a bag with some supplies. Something sharp glinted in the light… a sword, Link realized with a jolt. There was a sword, sharpened and ready to go… a teacher had kidnapped him in the middle of the night and brought him to the middle of nowhere…

Link suppressed a shout – this was the end! It had to be! This was the evil Dark and Byrne were talking of! This teacher was out to get him! He would torture him and do all kinds of sick—

"Calm down, Sky Child, I have no interest in making you suffer." Link squirmed on the ground until staggering to his feet. His eyes were wide but he managed to create a fierce expression around the smiled, laughing. "You're expression is positively hilarious, Link, but now's not the time for jokes."

Link spluttered, taken aback, and settled for watching Ghirahim dance around the meadow, setting up what looked like the training dummies from the gym's self-defense closet.

How ironic.

"Link," said boy looked up to see that Ghirahim had ended his psychotic dance and settled for staring at him. "How much do you remember about fighting?"

Link's blue eyes went wide and he tried to reply, but the gag was _really_ starting to burn, and Link's wrists were still tied. "Oh, my apologies," the teacher mumbled, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the bonds disappeared in a flurry of red-purple diamonds.

Link gasped, bringing a hand up to wipe the saliva from his lips. "What the hell?!"

"I'm sorry, but it was necessary. I apologize if my actions caused your mind to wander…"

"Don't even go there," Link snapped, rubbing his wrists.

Ghirahim sighed a long suffering sigh, strolling over and kneeling down, gesturing for Link to do the same. When two cerulean eyes glared down at him, he sighed again and stood up. "You, Sky Child, are making this more awkward than it has to be. Come, sit." Slowly, Link lowered himself to the ground, and once again Ghirahim kneeled down.

"At this point in time, I really can't injure you, dear Link." Ghirahim began, smirking. "My first end… that wasn't a pleasant experience. I've all but lost my abilities at this point, almost nineteen lives later..."

"Eighteen," Link automatically corrected, his own eyes going wide as the word left his lips.

"Yes, yes, you are quite right – this is your eighteenth life and my second." When Link didn't reply, the man sighed. "Yes, you were never too talkative… that resulted in many fights between us, considering how long-winded I tend to be…"

"What did you bring me here for?"

"Straight to the point? Very direct, I see…" Ghirahim chuckled. "You see, you and those three… the Princess, the Sheikah, and the Shadow… what do you remember of your lives?"

Link sighed, closing his eyes. "I know that I wasn't alone…" Ghirahim nodded although Link couldn't see him. "But life for me wasn't exactly peachy since I was the hero… I guess, along my quest, I made people learn to hate me…" He opened his blue eyes, trying to rid Dark's face from his mind, "But they're not solid memories. Like, things I just know instead of things I've been through, and I don't remember anything about them… maybe a little about Dark..." he admitted.

"I see," Ghirahim mumbled. "Tomorrow – or, rather, later today – you, your companions, and that teacher will steal the Master Sword… to regain your memories, of course." Link's eyes widened and he stood up in shock.

"We're going to _steal _it?"

"Yes. You see… out of all of us connected to timelines, only few of us actually have our memories. Since I only lived one other life, I have almost all of my memories. You'd be surprised to learn that I was after your head on a plate, smothered in your crimson blood in my past life. I _hated_ you, Hero, because you kept throwing a wrench in my plans. This time around, however, I am needed for a different reason."

Link narrowed his eyes and slowly sat back down. His mouth remained set in a hard line.

"Your Shadow… he is a unique one. He has kept every single memory from each of his lives. Although you two did not always fight, you did always meet. I can only imagine how hard it was for him to play his role as your enemy although he remembered… never mind. You too, Hero, are needed for a different reason, but the common factor in all of this is your sword." Ghirahim snapped his fingers and the sword Link had spotted earlier came to drift in front of them.

"We – and I mean your teacher and I separately – hope that you will regain your memories because of the Master Sword… he believes that, upon sight, you will know everything… I know that will not be the case. You cannot simply remember by gazing upon the blade of evil's bane – you must touch it! Wield it! To wield it, you must steal it from the museum it has been rotting away in."

"You're telling me that I have to break into the Hyrule Museum of History and steal their most prized artifact…?"

"Yes… in fact, I believe your Shadow—"

"Dark. His name is Dark, not "my Shadow." Link could feel a growl seeping into his voice… for some reason, the word "Shadow" bothered him to no end.

Ghirahim smiled, his mouth lifting up on one side. "See? You already are regaining your memories. _Dark_ and I agree with this much – you will need to retain ownership of that sword."

Link swallowed deeply, gritting his teeth for a second while digesting the idea. "What if… what if it doesn't work?"

"Oh, don't worry, Sky Child. It will." The man stood up and stretched. "Now, shall we spar?"

* * *

This was the way Dark came every time he had flashbacks, for whatever reason. There was always something pulling him towards the meadow off to the side of Hyrule Field, the expanse of grass and nature that was left untouched by time.

This time around was different, however, when he heard a shout of pain, and the clanging of metal on metal radiate from the field. He picked up his pace to a slow jog and began to run when the smell of sweat mingled with blood reached him.

"Block, Sky Child!" He heard a voice shout. "You have both a sword and shield! When you are on defense, use them to your advantage!" Another loud clang and Dark rounded the corner in time to see a tall, thin figure bringing its sword down on Link, who appeared to be disarmed.

Link rolled at the last minute, grabbing his shield in his right hand and raising his arm to block the blow. As the figure was recovering, he snatched his sword up in his left hand, which glowed gold for a second, and brought it down in an arc.

Dark tilted his chin up in interest. Link's fighting style had none of the grace the Hero's had, and, at this point, Dark was sure that Link _was not_ the Hero. The Hero was fierce though calm and collected. He bowed down to no one. Sure, there was a little bit of fierceness in Link's eyes, but it was shadowed by his hesitation. The Hero did not hesitate.

Link's identity would be revealed soon, later today, when Link got his hands on the Sacred Blade. The Sacred Blade would only accept one person and one person only.

Dark's chest heaved. If Link wasn't the Link he'd known… his best friend, while they were too young… his lover when they were older… he would move on, continue living his lives until his own timeline ended.

He was wrong in the first place… he shouldn't have fallen for the Hero. He was the Hero's Shadow – he wasn't meant to fall in love and be loved… it'd be best for things to go back to the way they were meant to be.

Before he was noticed, he turned to leave… but something caught his eye. He looked back, scanning the darkness and focusing his ruby eyes on the tall dark figure. Ghirahim.

Instantly, all of his senses went on alert. He forgot all about his "disregard" for Link and ran into the meadow, tackling Link to the ground and out of Ghirahim's way.

"Ghirahim!" Dark shouted, standing up in front of Link. Ghirahim blinked twice and then chuckled.

"Shadow!" He sang, and Dark narrowed his eyes. "I mean, Dark! It's nice to meet again…"

"It is, isn't it…?" Dark snatched up Link's weapon before he could protest. He stalked around in a circle and saw Link stand up and brush off out of the corner of his eye.

"Dark!" Link shouted angrily. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your ass. Now shut up." He readied his sword and Ghirahim chuckled gleefully.

"Now, Link, you can see how a _real_ swordsman should look and fight accordingly." Dark narrowed his eyes at this remark but ignored it. "Toss him your shield, Link," Ghirahim ordered, and to Dark's surprise, a flimsy wooden shield was tossed his way.

Dark caught it easily in his left hand and stalked away from Link, moving horizontally with Ghirahim. Without warning, he bared his teeth and snarled, launching himself at the man. His sword came down in a wide arc towards Ghirahim, but at the last minute he slashed it to the side towards the man's left arm. In a flurry of diamonds, Ghirahim reached up to block but jumped back, readying his sword.

Dark horizontally slashed at the teacher's torso, but he nimbly avoided it with a back flip, slicing his sword out to counter.

Link's blue eyes widened when Dark shot into the air above Ghirahim's sword… and _landed_ on the flat, kneeling down. Ghirahim coughed and dropped his sword, holding his arm in shock. Dark shook his head as if to dry his hair, and smiled.

Standing up straight, Ghirahim smiled and turned to Link, who was still staring, stunned.

"See, Link? Those are moves that even I didn't know that could…" Link still stared, his oceanic eyes darting from Dark, to Ghirahim, to the sword on the ground between them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dark asked Ghirahim, eying him and tightening his grip on the sword.

"I _was_ teaching young Link here the ways of sword fighting," Ghirahim said smoothly, still smiling, "until you came along and destroyed our sparring session. I hope he's learned something valuable from watching you fight."

Both men turned to look at Link, who was still staring at the sword on the ground. He looked up, his blue eyes confused. "Dark…?"

Dark looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah?"

Link blinked and the confusion washed from his eyes. "Sorry… I just…" he looked off into the trees, his eyebrows furrowing. "I…"

"The Water Temple, right…?" Dark replied, turning his head. He watched the surprise flit across Link's face. "Yeah, I figured. It's the only other time I used that move, after all."

"The Water Temple…?"

"Yep. In one of your lives, you fought me in a Water Temple… freed me, pretty much… you saved my life…" Dark's voice turned to a whisper and he dropped his shield and sword. He turned his back and walked towards the exit of the meadow.

Link looked away, at the ground. In his mind, images of an endless room played. A single tree… two doors… a pale figure against the smooth bark of a dead tree…

"I'm sorry I can't remember…" Link murmured, and a small laugh resonated in the cold air.

"No… don't be."

* * *

For the second time that morning, Link was woken up unceremoniously. To his left, his phone rang frantically, vibrating against the hard top of his dresser. The ringtone he'd set for Sheik and Zelda blared through its small speaker. He checked the clock… 5:30 AM.

He'd barely gotten in the bed! By the time he found his way back home – because Dark had left and Ghirahim didn't feel like teleporting at such an unholy hour – it was already three… he'd had to take a shower to wash away the sweat, dirt, and blood from his sparing session. By then, because it took two and a half showers to get clean, it was four, and Link had crawled into bed, craving the sleep he was so cruelly denied.

The museum wasn't even open until eight… Link rolled over, slapping his hand onto the table and glancing at the phone.

He was right – Sheik and Zelda were telling him to get ready. _Meet us in front of the school – Dark's driving us._

_Dark_ was driving them. Great, Link thought. Well, at least he could avoid an awkward moment if he sat in the back, far, far away from the driver's side. He threw on a green jacket over a black shirt and some black jeans, pulling on a pair of green sneakers before leaving his room. He decided he wouldn't stress too much over breakfast and grabbed a piece of bread out of the cabinet before pocketing his keys and leaving out of the door.

The school was a few blocks away, but nothing Link couldn't handle. Stretching quickly, he jogged out into the foggy morning, keeping his breathing even so he wouldn't be a sweaty mess when he arrived at the school.

He ran up to the front of the building, slowing to a walk as he scanned the empty parking lot. In the fog, one car stood out – a sleek, black car that Link couldn't name but _knew_ it had to be expensive.

Leaning against the car were four figures, one of which was dressed in all black head to toe. The black figure leaned forward to another as if in an argument. The only one interested in arguing was Dark, Link concluded.

"Dark," Byrne was saying, "We won't need to steal from the museum! We're just going to get Link to get a close up of the sword…"

"You sure have gotten soft, Byrne. If it really is you in there, at least."

"What do you mean by that…?"

"I mean that you probably aren't _Byrne_. The Byrne I knew was a power-hungry warrior… I guess, in the end, he decided to protect the future… he died saving the Princess," Dark jerked his thumb to Zelda, who looked offended, "and was to come back with no memories… which has been holding true… but what if you're not really him? What if his consciousness isn't sealed in your body… and you just think it is?"

"That's what you think happened to me, too, right?" Link said, walking closer. As he stepped out of the fog, Dark's ruby eyes flashed with surprise and then dulled as he kept talking.

"The only way we'll know if Link is really the Hero is if he can touch the sword, draw it, and wield it."

"That's exactly what Ghirahim told me," Link mumbled and three sets of eyes looked at him in surprise.

"Ghirahim?"

"We ran into him, yesterday, after school," Dark said quickly, covering. He sent Link one meaningful glance and continued. "He agreed with our 'trip' to see the Master Sword, but he believes that the sword will have to accept Link. Anyone can just look at it, but no one but the Hero can touch it."

"The Hero and his Shadow," Sheik corrected, narrowing his eyes. "I admire your determination, Dark, but I'm not ready to put my full trust in you, yet."

"Neither am I," Zelda chimed in, frowning. "Link's memories come first, of course, but our memories are equally important. We've been regaining our memories quickly, all things considered…"

Sheik continued where Zelda left off. "We remember your purpose _and_ your creator, Dark. Please don't do anything that would cause use to lose the trust we're giving you."

Dark stared at them blankly before opening his mouth to answer. "When Link remembers, he'll decide what to do with everything. Right now," Dark's ruby eyes slid to bore into Link's cerulean ones, "we don't even know if he's the Hero."

* * *

_Please don't think I'm abandoning Hands of the Dead, 'cause I'm really not. This story is the story that I write when I'm tired of writing stories, if that makes any sense... I _will_ try to regularly update, however. A whole bunch of stuff has been going on lately, so I'll try to update Hands of the Dead between today and tomorrow because I might not be around for a while..._

_Ah, a quick bit of self criticism: I know, I've been using the "memories" concept too much... I'll try to fix that. _

_Thanks to those who've already reviewed! - Desert_

_R&R please_


	3. Chapter 3

_Angst later on in the chapter... just a head's up._

**Chapter 3**

In the end, Link ended up in the passenger seat.

The ride there was uncomfortable with absolutely no conversation at all. Zelda attempted to begin a conversation with Sheik about upcoming tests in school that they would luckily miss, but all talk of school died out quickly. Link sat, heavily in thought about Sheik and Zelda's observations.

"Dark," Link said quietly in complete seriousness. He knew that the passengers in the back could hear them, but he figured his voice was intimate enough to let them know that it was between the two of them. "Why are you helping us…?"

Dark frowned, red eyes sliding quickly to look at Link. "Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know… I was just wondering. Some people think you're going to snatch the sword up for yourself, but… I don't think that's the case…"

"You trust me, Hero?" Dark asked, laughing a sharp, bitter laugh. "When you remember, you'll know why I'm helping you, why I don't want the sword for myself." Link remained silent for a while, thinking. Quietly, in the back, Sheik, Zelda, and Byrne were talking, whispering so that their conversations were muted.

"You were in love with me."

The car went silent. Dark swallowed, closing his eyes. He opened them a second later, keeping them trained on the road.

"Yeah, I was."

"You still are," Link whispered, looking pointedly at the dashboard. He watched Dark's pale hands spasm against the wheel, blue and red veins standing out against his skin.

"Yeah," He took a deep, shaky breath, his unoccupied foot tapping away nervously against the door. "Yeah, I am…"

"Dark, I want you to tell me what I did to you… I… did I love you, too…?"

"You want to remember, right?" Dark still seemed shaken up. "You want to remember, and you will soon enough. _Then_ you'll realize the mistake."

"Why can't you just _tell_ me what I did?"

"What _he_ did! We still don't know if you're _him._"

"If I am him, then what are you going to do? You already call me 'Hero', don't you? I don't believe that my memories from this life suddenly won't matter, Dark. If you're in pain, you could just leave right now. You have no reason to help us!"

"But I do! You don't understand!" Dark shook his head, his white hair going wild. "Just…"

Before Link could reply, Dark turned the steering wheel of his car and drove into the lot of the Hyrule Museum of History.

"Here's how it's going to work," Dark said, turning around to look everyone in the eye. "We're going to go in, set up, and wait for the morning crowd."

"Why can't we just walk in and walk out?" Zelda asked, frowning. "I mean, it'd be harder to go through this with witnesses…"

"Yeah, it would be, except they turn off the cameras today from six to nine for maintenance, and the guards will be out from seven to ten for some Hyrule-wide event for law enforcers."

Byrne smiled, "Exactly why I picked today." Dark looked at him with a hint of admiration before his eyes went blank.

"Yeah, good job, Teach."

They all piled out of the car and weren't surprised to see two guards standing at the front entrance, yawning and carrying on. Dark frowned, looking over at Byrne. The teacher nodded, pulling a bandana over his mouth and crouching down. Silently, something dropped from the rooftop and, with a flick of a wrist, the two guards fell forward onto the concrete.

The figure waved a hand and Byrne saluted, watching as the figure took off back on to the roof.

"I never thought _he_ would come to help," Sheik noted, watching suspiciously as the figure disappeared.

"He agrees with this plan," Byrne explained, "Though he and Dark swayed me to take this approach. Ghirahim is more perceptive in this life than he was in his last."

"I can see that…" Dark mumbled, frowning. "Let's get this over with, then." He looked over at Link, with a fleeting glance, and mumbled, "Take off your jacket."

"What, why?"

"You're too obvious. We're all wearing dark colors but you. You'll stand out." Looking around, Link realized that, amongst them, he was the only one wearing something other than the dark grays and black common in their clothing.

"What's wrong with that?" Link asked defensively, honestly wondering.

"You'll be an easy target. We're not going to be the only one's breaking into the museum today. There _is_ evil in this world, this timeline." Link bit his lip and shrugged off his jacket, handing it to Dark's outstretched hand. "If I wear it, maybe it'd be easier to mistake me for you."

"Why would you want to do that?!" Link asked with Sheik and Zelda's shocked looks to back him up.

"We give off the same aura," Dark said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "and the Hero was always known for having a thing for green." With a quick motion, he flipped the hood up over his head, effectively hiding his face. "If someone decides to attack us, they'll come after me first, thinking I'm you."

Link opened his mouth to protest, but Dark started to walk along the side of the building, periodically glancing up at the side of the building.

"How are we going to get in?" Byrne asked, frowning at Dark. When Dark glared, Byrne replied in self defense, "I hadn't exactly planned on breaking into the museum – this was your part of the plan."

"Then why'd you pick the one best day of the whole year to visit?" Dark started as he began testing out the bricks along the wall. He jammed his foot into an opening and started to _scale_ the flat brick face of the wall.

"If there was an emergency, I didn't need any cameras or law enforcers to show up!" Byrne replied, scaling the wall with Dark as if there was nothing abnormal about the situation. Link and Zelda stared up in shock as Sheik followed.

"You'll remember faster if you do stuff you've already done," Sheik called down, his slender form already half way up the building. Zelda looked over at link, her blue eyes shining in the dull light.

"After you?"

Link gave her a small smile. "I would , but I'm not quite certain I remember how to climb up buildings yet. If I fall, I don't want to take you down with me. Ladie's first?"

Zelda looked up at the flat wall, contemplating. Dark was already crawling through a ventilation duct, Byrne and Sheik following behind.

"That's the problem – I don't remember too well, either, to tell you the truth…" Zelda stated, looking back at Link. He gaped at her before glancing back at the cool brick.

"I'm guessing that now's not the time to find out if we _do_ know how, then…"

"I do think you've guessed correctly. It's not every day you go shimmying up vertical walls." They both laughed before Zelda sighed. "Now that he's out of earshot…" she mumbled, looking up, "I can't help but wonder why you and Sheik are so distant."

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Sheik's the kind of person that lessens heavy moods and lightens stuff up, you know? These memories are changing him, Link."

"They're changing all of us," Link whispered, "even those of us who already remembered."

The two waited in silence for a few seconds before Link finally broke it. "Zel… how much do you remember of your past lives?"

"Nothing much… or important for that matter. It's just vague bits and pieces. Me giving you an ocarina… us going to a festival… I remember getting kidnapped – on multiple occasions, to tell you the truth. But I remember that you always saved me."

"What about Dark?" Link wanted to avoid this, but whom else would he ask?

"I… nothing. Every time I try to remember him, a big blank just pops up. And I feel like it's hard to remember more about you, later on in your quests, without remembering him. I remember our early lives, but after that, there's nothing." She sighed, narrowing her eyes. "But, there's something that really bothers me."

"What is it?"

"Some of our timelines are intertwined one life to the next. Like Sheik and I… we share some of the exact same memories. It's as if we were once the same person." Link nodded at this, furrowing his brow. "And… I remember who our enemies are, at least. Ghirahim… he confuses me. He has the same aura, in a sense, as Vaati… yet, Ghirahim holds none of the malice he did when we first encountered each other."

"Do you think they split up over the years...?"

"No," Zelda said slowly. "I think that, instead of coming back as Ghirahim, he came back as Vaati. And then, of course, somehow _both _of them, as separate beings, came back into this life. The malice went to Vaati and the morals – which were probably lost at the time – went to Ghirahim. I don't understand _why_ though, because Ghirahim was the first demonic being to revive a greater power."

Link nodded slowly, letting it sink in. "I see… then, what about the other enemies…?

"Ganondorf has not changed, though I do believe that Demise," Link caught himself shuddering at the name, "has come back somewhere in this world. _He's_ who we need to worry about. It's as if-"

"What are you two doing down there?" A voice yelled from above and the two jumped, looking up. "Come on up!"

"We would if we could!" Zelda called back, irritation seeping into her soft voice.

"What? Can't hear you if you mumble, Princess." The voice called back down, and Link sighed, shaking his head. Dark… he looked up, thinking. Dark had acted so stoic throughout the time he'd known Link, but this childish behavior was reminding him of something that seemed so familiar. It was as if the memory had been misplaced instead of lost.

"Could you toss something down? For us to use to climb?" Link called back up, his blue eyes darting around in the darkness, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to their illegal actions.

Dark sighed but complied, albeit hesitantly, but tossed down something that consisted of a chain and a strange claw at the end.

"It's a Claw Shot," he called down. Link nodded, knowing what to do. He held on to the chain above the "claw" tightly and grabbed on to Zelda with his free arm.

"Ready!" He called up to Dark, and, a button press later, the two were shooting up the side of the building and into the ventilation shaft.

As they reached the top, Dark grabbed on to them both, pulling them upright and keeping them from falling roughly eight stories back to the cold concrete.

"We're lucky this place is so big," Sheik said, looking around at the walls. "We could just walk on in…"

"Which is exactly what we're going to do," Dark said, stepping away from Link to look down the shaft. It's gently sloping "floor" looked sturdy enough to walk on. He stepped out, one foot at a time, down the opening, gesturing for the others to follow. Soon enough, the entrance opened into an expanse of metal beams shooting across the ceiling in a cross pattern.

Quietly, Byrne and Sheik advanced past Dark, walking in crouches across each one. Link watched in horror as Byrne slipped and, as he was falling, reached out with his left hand. The prosthetic shot off suddenly, gripping the bar, and pulled him back up.

The two silently made their way to the other side, where a ladder was safely waiting for them.

"… What the hell…?" Link asked, cerulean eyes wide. Dark stretched slightly before sighing.

"We're no ninjas, but I think we could get across there…"

"_No,_" Link protested, "we _couldn't._ Not unless we want to plummet to our death!"

"Sheesh, Link, you've never been afraid of heights before," Dark mumbled before crouching down on his hands and knees. He was taking a different approach to making his way across the thin rafters.

"Come on. If you guys fall, I want to be able to catch you, you know."

Slowly, Link and Zelda lowered themselves down, crawling slowly after Dark. Link felt himself trying to focus on anything but the many exhibits below him, ready to aid in killing him if he were to fall… he would hit the ground with bone-crushing force if he couldn't –

"Like what you see?" He heard Dark say jokingly, and realized with a start that he was staring at the pale teen's behind…

"No, I don't actually."

"Sorry to disappoint, then," Dark chuckled before catching himself and plastering his perpetual scowl back on his face. In Link's head, an echoing laugh sounded, unmistakably Dark's voice although Link had never heard the teen laugh without restraint.

Finally, the three made it to the other side of the room and Zelda and Link followed Dark down the ladder carefully but quickly. Once they reached the ground, the two dramatically breathed twin sighs of relief.

"The Master Sword is in the 'Hero's Exhibit'," Byrne informed as soon as the three touched the ground. "We should have entered from the other side."

"Or, we could just walk along and make our way to the other side. Simple. They don't open for another thirty minutes." Zelda said, sighing and starting towards the hallway. Link jogged to catch up along with Sheik, and Dark meandered behind, glancing over his shoulder at Byrne, who seemed to be examining the Lokomo exhibit with extreme interest.

"I will catch up with you all later…" The teacher mumbled, as if in a daze. Dark shrugged and followed after Sheik and Link, who were still jogging to keep up with Zelda's brisk pace.

Despite Zelda's quick solution, it took twenty minutes for the four to make it across the museum. There seemed to be no maps or signs anywhere in sight, and each hallway they tried ended in five minutes of straight walking, only to turn left or right and find a dead end.

"No good…" Sheik mumbled, looking around. "They're letting people in right about now."

Dark turned to look as a crowd of small children ran in, shouting about getting to see the Master Sword. "Children have the best sense of direction, some say…" Dark trailed off, watching as a small child begged a parent for one of the many long, green hats on display.

The four followed surreptitiously behind the children until they were led to a large room with only one exhibit and a whole wall full of pictures and murals. Underneath it was a golden plaque, simply engraved as, "The True Master Sword."

"This… this is going to be complicated…" Zelda mumbled, looking at the ten-foot display case. The Master Sword was encased completely including the sacred ground and pedestal it was last placed in.

Link's blue eyes flashed and he took a step forward, glancing back at Dark. "This is it?"

"In the flesh," Dark responded quickly, appraising the blade. "Still good as new."

"So… If the sword accepts me… I'm the Hero?"

One side of Dark's mouth lifted and dropped. "Yes, Link." Cerulean eyes closed for a second.

"What if I don't remember anything?" Crimson eyes flashed with pain.

"Then… you're still _Link_… but the past Hero'll be lost forever." Dark sighed, looking away, and Link took a few more steps towards the sword. Turning suddenly, Link looked Dark straight in his ruby eyes.

"You called me 'Link.'"

A dark eyebrow raised, and, startlingly, Link noticed that it did not match his white hair. "So?"

"You haven't called me by my name before, that's all." Ignoring Dark's incredulous glare, Link turned and reached for the glass, pressing his hand to it. He closed his eyes, concentrating hard, before the sound of shattering glass alerted them all. The glass in front of Link's palm was completely intact, but glass fell all around them in a halo, slicing their exposed skin.

When the shower finished, Link dared a glance at the ceiling, the ceiling now exposed to the open air and morning glow of the outside world.

"_How had the room emptied so suddenly?_", Link could only think. A few seconds ago, there were children running in glee, pointing at the pictures. A mother trailed behind, her gentle smile gracing her face when one of her young children said, "When I grow up, I wanna be a hero!"

The next second, thousands of images flooded Link's mind, bombarding him with knowledge that compressed his heart. He was suffocating, drowning, his lungs filling before ceasing to work. He was forgetting who he was and becoming who he had been.

Vertigo, something he'd experienced only in dreams, hit him hard, an assault on his senses thought the cold glass of the container was still pressed against his palm and Dark's even breathing was still sounding to his right.

His heartbeat, pounding in his ears already increased, _Link!_ He heard a shout. But the feeling of vertigo passed and something else flooded through his veins. A warm feeling… not happiness, though. Much stronger than happiness… something that caressed him and wiped out all other feelings.

He felt a corner of his mouth pull up. He knew that voice… "Dark…"

"Shh, Link, don't speak!" A softly muttered swear and then the warmth was gone, replaced by something else.

"Dark… I…"

"I said shut up, damnit!"

Why was Dark yelling at him? The air was so nice… no one could be angry right now! But, Link thought otherwise as he tried to draw a breath through his nose to smell the warmth.

Something was there… his mouth, too. He coughed, to clear whatever substance was blocking his air, the air that _had_ to hold such a soft scent…

And he coughed, and coughed… but it kept coming, that blockage, that horrid blockage, and he opened his eyes to look around, and he saw Dark's head, facing away from him, and he saw the crimson smudges on the ground, and he saw the worry in Dark's pure ruby eyes, and he saw Dark's lips move in surprise, and he saw… a sword, as dark as night…

In his chest.

And he heard an anguished cry, one beyond description. "LINK!"

* * *

_So... I ended up writing a whole chapter without any line breaks. And I made myself cry while writing. Two new accomplishments. Anyways... does this story say angst in the description? I should change the description..._

_I'm going to post a little bit of "deleted scenes" from this chapter for comic relief. It'll be posted under my story "I Want". Keep your eyes out for it. _

_R&R my readers~_


	4. Chapter 4

_Goddesses, I love you all~ You guys are the best–seriously. Thank you so much for supporting this story. I love your responses! Here is the next installment of Memories of the Past—your questions will be answered!_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The world around them was silent as Link stared at the sword on the other side of the glass. He examined it closely, closing his eyes and opening them periodically. One of the children in the room shrieked suddenly with laughter and Link flinched.

"Mommy!" The kid shouted, "When I grow up, I wanna be a hero!"

That seemed to set it off for Link and suddenly, the teen's knees grew weak. Dark took a step forward and dove towards Link when he could no longer support himself. Dark grabbed Link quickly before he could touch the cold tile, but Link's left hand was still outstretched to touch that glass that separated him from the rest of his memories.

"Link?" He asked, shaking the nearly unconscious teen, furrowing his brow as Link's unfocused blue eyes rolled up to examine him.

"Dark…" Dark shushed him, trying to situate the limp body in his arms so that he could stand. Turning, he gestured for Zelda and Sheik to come closer, but instead they rushed at him, struggling to remove Link from his custody.

"Let him go, Shadow!" Sheik demanded, reaching to step towards Dark. Zelda stood in front of Sheik, her arm out protectively.

"Calm, Sheik. Dark doesn't mean any harm!" She turned to stand in front of Dark, who was looking increasingly agitated. He narrowed his crimson eyes at the Sheikah, frowning.

"What's your problem?!" He growled, ignoring Zelda altogether.

"My problem is you, Shadow!" He shouted, and Zelda gasped, taking a step back. Her blue eyes unfocused quickly and pain crossed her face.

"Dark…" She whispered, frowning. "You… why…"

A shadowy look passed over Dark's face as he realized what was happening. They were remembering… and they knew. They knew what he'd done. Voices swarmed in his head, shouting at him, calling _him_ the betrayer, calling _him_ the enemy.

_Shut up!_ He thought at them, shaking his head and glaring back at Sheik.

"What did _you_ do, Sheikah? What did you do to stop this?"

Sheik spluttered for a second before laughing. "Really? You're going to tempt me into answering _that?"_

The voices in his mind started again, at the sound of Sheik's anger and the feeling of Link stirring.

"Dark… I…" Link mumbled, but it was to deaf ears.

"I said shut up, damnit!" He shouted to the suspicions pawing away at his frayed mind. Sheik and Zelda jumped, their eyes widening. Link, despite his state of confusion, seemed startled as well. Dark growled at the two and they both took a step back, suddenly afraid. In a swift motion, he slung Link over one of his shoulders and used his free hand to feel the glass covering the Sacred Blade.

Concentrating hard, he summoned something around himself, covering both him and Link…

"Oh dear, is he alright?" the mother from earlier spoke in a worried tone. She seemed oblivious to the dark aura surrounding the Hero's shadow and ran right up to him, fussing over Link's prone form. The boy squirmed and began to choke, coughing frantically. His eyes flew open and he searched her face before gagging again. "He's choking! Put him down!"

Dark glanced over his shoulder at the slight woman, growling. "Get out of here if you want to keep your life." His ruby eyes were cold and she stumbled back, hands flying over her mouth. She spluttered something that sounded like an apology before running and ushering her children out of the room as quickly as possible.

"Why, mommy?"

"Because that man is dangerous!" The words stuck somewhere in Dark's chest, but he ignored him.

"Hurry it up over there!" He shouted at her, ignoring the pure fear in her eyes. He turned his glare back to Sheik and Zelda. "Are you going to stand there and be useless or are you going to grab that sword?!"

"Neither," A voice sounded from behind Dark, and he turned to see Byrne, not the teacher but the warrior. Red lines formed beneath his eyes as he glared at Dark, his expression covered by a wrap around his mouth. Link muttered what sounded like a weak, "no…" of pain, but Dark decided to pay no mind to either, instead using the dark power he'd gathered to shatter the glass casing. Taking the sword in hand, he yanked it out of the pedestal, pleased to know that it did not reject him.

He watched as the Triforce on his hand glowed, resonating with the sword and the Triforce on Link's hand.

Link coughed again and began to fight against Dark's hold more until finally, the taller teen was forced to drop him. Gripping the fabric over his chest, Link glared at him.

"What are you _doing?_" He asked in a hard voice that neared a growl. "I thought I told you not to toss me around like a doll."

The change in his sapphire eyes was shocking as he stood up, brushing himself off and taking not of his clothes. He examined the room, narrowing his eyes as Sheik moved into view.

"Sheik," he said, his voice still firm. "Why are you here?"

"Uh…" Sheik's aggressive demeanor changed instantly and his snarl fell from his face. "You don't remember…?"

Looking back at Dark, Link frowned. "Shadow Link?" Link asked, eyeing him openly, taking note of his hair.

Dark opened his mouth to respond but was almost beyond words. "Uh… you were right the first time… it's just Dark."

Link frowned, thinking, before closing his eyes and raising his hand to his forehead. He bit his lip, scrunching his face more, too deep in thought to notice the confused stares.

"He's situating himself," Byrne explained, examining Link. "The memories of his past lives drowned out his current thoughts. Soon enough he'll remember you, Dark."

"And when he does, my job's done."

Byrne pursed his lips beneath the stole covering his face. "Why do you wish to punish yourself like such, Dark? You blame him for your pain when truly you are bringing it upon yourself."

Dark frowned and looked away.

Finally, after a few moments of silence, Link looked up, his sapphire eyes dull but focused. "I… I think I remember, now." He whispered, turning his head away from prying eyes. "I don't need to touch the sword." His eyes darted up and around before settling comfortably at his feet.

"What do you remember? And know?" Zelda asked quietly, leaning forward.

"I… I remember what happened… what happened last, before this life." He spared a small, flickering glance at Dark. "And… I know that I'm going to be sick if I don't get home. Now."

"Yeah…" Zelda said shakily in the silence, avoiding Dark's steady, unfocused ruby eyes and Sheik's knowing gaze. She walked with Link past Byrne, whom Link was also eyeing cautiously. "Let's go home."

* * *

For the fifth time that night, Link awoke in a cold sweat, running to the bathroom and yanking his shirt up to examine his chest. The smooth, toned skin was unscathed… there wasn't even a scratch to show for the injuries he'd sustained in past lives.

Pale, sweaty hands gripped the edges of the sink in front of him and he stared at their unscarred, soft surfaces. Bile rose impatiently in his throat but he swallowed it, deciding that getting sick again was only going to make his situation worse. His arms shook as his hands gripped the porcelain of the sink tighter and his whole body bent forward.

It was too hot in there… Link carefully loosened his fingers and reached for the handle of the sink, holding one hand beneath the faucet. A slip of his shaky hand was all it took to send the handle to "hot". Instantly, the scalding water poured out onto his hand, something that had never happened to him before.

Barely suppressing a shout of pain and a curse, Link pulled his hand from under the water and pulled the faucet over to the "cold" position. He stared at the water pouring from the faucet untrustworthily for a moment before hesitantly allowing the water to once again flow over his hand.

Slowly, he brought a handful of water up to his face and washed it over his clammy skin, feeling his breath speed at the feeling.

In a fit, he pulled his shirt off and looked at his chest in the mirror. Where was the stab wound? The sword Dark swore to bury him with? The… Dark. Thinking the name sent tremors down Link's spine. Would sixteen lifetimes overrule one lifetime of betrayal? Dark had lied to him… his whole life. Every kiss, every caress was leading up to Dark's sudden act of hatred.

Link's breath came in pants, reliving his final memories as a hero.

His first time reliving the memory was confusing… bits from the present mingled with bits from the past and created a disorienting experience. He could have sworn to the Goddesses that he was choking, that the sword was jutting clear from his heart, two black wings expanding from the hilt. Unmistakably, it was Dark's sword that had ended him but it was Dark's warmth that had surrounded him.

It was Dark's voice murmured, after he was laid on the ground. It was Dark's voice that had asked, "Link… can you hear me?" And when he'd begged for Dark not to touch the blade, Dark had answered, "Never, Link." And pressed his lips to Link's, ignoring the blood, and held his hand, and looked into his eyes until ruby vision faded to black.

It was Dark who'd whispered, "Smile, Link…" after his vision had failed him and his heart was close to following.

And he did. Why? There was too much missing, too many holes in his mind. What killer had such kind eyes and spoke quietly to his victim? No killer was kind and Dark was no killer.

Link slipped. His bare foot found no purchase on the tile made slippery by his mistake and he found himself crashing to the floor, his muscles still shaky. There was no way he could force himself to stand up at this rate, let alone turn the water off, clean, and go back to bed quietly. He'd probably already alerted his guests…

"Link? Link, are you alright?" A soft voice called into his room, accompanying the telltale shuffle of feet across carpet and a door being opened. "I heard something…"

"F-Fine! I'm fine, Zel…" Link cursed the crackly shakiness that was his voice. He bit his lips and cooperated in getting his muscles to cooperate and his frayed nerves to stop buzzing.

It was like the memories of all of his past selves had crowded into his mind and taken over his senses. With each "Link" there was a different feel and remembrance feeling. Each "Link" had moved differently and was a different height—there was no way to figure out which actions matched this body anymore. The only person who had their full memories was Dark, although Byrne and Ghirahim remembered much of the past… as did Zelda and Sheik. Truly, though, only Dark and Zelda had exact memories of the happenings in each life.

No way in hell was he going to ask Dark.

A few seconds passed of emotions. One dark personality was screaming at him to take revenge, one was telling him to let it go, one was chanting for him to pick a fight… one, in the back of his mind, was telling him to put the pieces together before he took action. Another was telling him to talk it out.

Where did rational thinking come in?

Another wave of complete hatred for Dark washed over him. He _had_ to have lied and continued to lie, even now! There was no way Dark remained lucid throughout this process, this process of gaining his past memories once he came of age, like what should have happened to him.

A wave of doubt. Maybe, Dark's memories came back to him slowly, as Zelda and Sheik's were. Maybe he didn't have all of his memories and would never gain them. Maybe he was in the same stage as Byrne and Ghirahim—too late to gain memories of times passed.

"Link, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah!" Link called back, biting down the frustration that was building in his voice. He stood. That was a good sign—his body was listening to him, now. Carefully, he treaded around the wet spot on the bare tile and made his way back to the carpet of his room, sitting down on the bed and burying his head in his hands, oblivious of Zelda leaning in the doorway.

"I'm sure if you were okay, Link, you wouldn't be acting like that." Zelda came to sit beside him on the large, elevated bed. Link's bare back was exposed to the cold air and she reached and grabbed a throw blanket, tossing it over him. He looked up, his sapphire eyes weary.

"I said I was fine…"

"You're obviously not," Zelda said, exasperatedly and scowled when Link gave her a half-hearted glare. "Look, Link, I'm not going to fight with you about this. Tell me what's on your mind."

Link swallowed, trying to clear his throat which was suddenly thick. "I don't know… I really don't… it's like a crowd of minds are screaming at me… I don't know which one is _me_…"

"They're all _you_ Link. I think they're just waiting for them to accept you." Link looked up, his eyes confused. Zelda sighed. "You can be dense. Just let them in! Stop trying to block them out, 'cause Links are stubborn!" Zelda laughed and Link's eyes went from wide to narrow. He opened his mouth to say something, but Zelda stopped him. "Now, what's _really_ on your mind? The _big_ problem?"

"Dark."

That one name wiped the smile from Zelda's face in a flash and Link's irritation went to a new place entirely.

"I mean, I know he killed me, but I can't help but think about _why_ he did it. As… jumpy as Dark's personality is, I know somewhere that he wouldn't do that…" The words came in a rush as if he were trying to defend the other teen. "Somewhere, I hate him for doing what he did so suddenly, but I can't remember what led up to that, you know?" Zelda stared at him for a second before nodding. "I just… what if I attacked him, and he defended himself and stabbed me by accident? What if _I _was the one who tried to kill him?"

"Link, calm down…" Zelda whispered, putting her hand on the frantic teen's back. "I'm sure there's an explanation to all of this. Although I don't trust Dark, I don't hate him, either. You love him, and you're like a brother to me. I can't help but feel the same." Link blushed, looking away. "Please, don't deny it, Link. _All_ of your past selves were in love with him—I'm sure their feelings have carried over."

Link felt embarrassment crawl up through his gut, but he pushed it down for the sake of the conversation.

"We just need to find out exactly what happened during your last life. Dark loves you too, you know. Just get a little distance from each other. Who knows how many years have passed, and you two didn't even so much as take a break from each other. No wonder something like that happened." Link looked over at Zelda, offended.

"I would ne-"

"I'm not saying that you'd cheat on Dark, Link. I'm not saying that it's your fault this happened, either. Whoever did this and however it happened, it was unorthodox. I'm convinced that this isn't just a coincidence that your memories, along with mine and Sheik's, didn't come back."

"What?" Link looked up, interested. "What do you mean?"

Zelda laughed humorously. "Did this all appear as a coincidence to you, Link? You have the Triforce of Courage, Sheik and I have split Wisdom, and conveniently, all three of us are having problems with our memories. Ours not as extreme as yours, but you get the point."

A random wave of nausea hit Link but he swallowed it, taking a deep breath. "So, someone purposefully took our abilities to re-absorb our memories, then?"

"Someone didn't want us to find out the truth about our previous life, the one before this." Link bit his lip and straightened up, thinking.  
"Someone who was there when it happened, and knew that it affected them."

"Someone who wanted to stop us ahead of time."

"Someone named Ganondorf," They both said at the same time, their voices laced with hatred. Zelda stood up. "I want Sheik's input on this…"

Link grabbed the hem of her shirt. "No… not tonight. Tomorrow."

"Any reason why? You two are best friends, you know."

"I get less and less sure of that every time I see him. He hates Dark, and since we're, you know… he isn't exactly warm with me, either."

Zelda nodded in understanding. "I see," She sat back down, slowly as to not jostle anything Link had perched on its far end. "We'll all talk tomorrow, then. And, I want you to talk to Dark, too. See what he remembers. I'm sure it was no coincidence that he was left with his memories."

"You still don't think he's on our side." Link didn't bother phrase it in a question—the answer was obvious enough.

"I don't, not after what happened earlier. He threatened that woman's life. Although I'm sure he meant nothing by that, that's not something he would do."

"You're right… Dark always took the bold way of doing things, but he never used intimidation on innocent bystanders."

Zelda sighed, leaning back on the headboard. "There's something on Dark's mind, too. I'm sure he's having as much trouble with his memories as you are. No one should be able to take in all of that knowledge in such a short amount of time."

Link thought for a few seconds. "How long do you think Dark had his memories?"

"Long enough to plot with Ghirahim and Byrne, but not long enough to do anything before recently. It must hurt for him to be around you…"

"And know I don't remember a thing about him. I know, I've thought about that, too." Link finished her sentence quickly and let his sapphire eyes drift shut. "That's another matter, though. Go back to bed, Zelda."

The blonde girl took a deep breath, one side of his mouth pulling up. "Are you feeling better, Link?"

"Better than I was, Zel. Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

_Reviewers? I love you all. Here, take them, they are my internet hugs! Thanks for reviewing so far! Any questions, concerns, comments, don't hesitate to review below. Thanks - Desert._

_R&R!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The white-haired—but truly dark-haired—teen sat at the entrance of the museum, crimson eyes shining in the darkness. Link was on his mind. He blinked frantically, trying desperately to ignore the stinging in and around his eyes, and thought only of the past, the _good_ past, before time tore them apart.

Today, especially, reminded him of one event that, truly, he'd never forget.

He and the Hero were on an especially important mission, one that could have meant life or death. Bokoblins, remnants of the past enemies, were running rampant, flashing their fancy undergarments and stealing important objects, such as the Princess's ocarina. Upon hearing this, the hero had_ launched_ into action, dragging Dark with him across Hyrule and searching, fruitlessly, for the ocarina.

"You don't understand, Dark Link," The hero murmured, still uncomfortable with simply calling him "Dark" and _very_ uncomfortable with traveling with him.

"You're right. I don't understand why you're searching Hyrule in search of an _ocarina,_ especially one that lost its powers hundreds of years ago." The Hero's eyes flashed and Dark could tell he struck a nerve. "What's wrong, Hero? Still fuzzy around the edges? Don't remember the power that piece of wood held?"

"Dark, I told you, this is our main quest right now."

"The _main_ _quest_, right now, is finding out where your memory is sealed."

"You are _selfish_." Link frowned childishly, though he was utterly serious. "We have defeated Ganon, we have cleansed Hyrule, what more do I _need_ to do? You keep sealing memories away in hopes that one of me—one of my ancestors—will be stupid enough to take them all up and _remember_ whatever life you _used _to share with one of the heroes. They might, _might_ remember the love, but with that memory will come each and every moment of _my_ life in which I've felt _nothing_ for you. You are my best friend, Dark Link, nothing less—no, never anything less. My brother, if I were to go so far—but you are nothing more. I love you, but I am not in love with you. Give it up, Dark Link. That life you used to share with him is lost. Your love is lost."

"What life I _used_ to share with _you, _Link! The memories of your ancestors are rightfully _yours._ Take them!"

"I will leave them! I am not the Hero of Time, I am not the Hero of Twilight—Dark Link, I am _not him._ Even if another takes up the memories of whatever love you used to share, it will not be _him!_ It will _never be_ him! He will be plagued by _my _memories as well, telling him not to be swayed. Not to bow. His common sense, hopefully, will have stayed."

Dark blinked, astonished at Link's anger, and shook his head. "Why are you so against this, Link? What if the Hero that _does_ take the memories_ is_ him?"

"I am against this because of the pain, Dark Link. What I have felt of the memories you have stored up are pure, innocent times tainted with the tint of betrayal. They have mixed, whatever did in a past life. You wronged your lover, Dark, and it is the overpowering memory that will keep you from happiness. Move on. You will only end up hurting yourself."

"I'll hurt myself if I miss my chance of getting him back!"

"If you do get him back, you will have killed whatever person lived in that body before given that burden."

Dark shook his head again, not stopping this time until he was back in the present, sitting against the cold brick face of the building. Hating that a good memory turned into a vivid, evil one, he stood, slowly, eyes unfocused, and walked towards the pull, the pull of something greater than he was. That memory was plaguing him, and he _would_ destroy the source. He would kill all evidence of the nightmare... he would wipe it from existence, even in his own mind.

_It _is _him… it's him this time…._

* * *

A copy of Hyrule Historia was slapped down roughly on the coffee table in Link's living room before it was opened and promptly dissected by three of the people who knew more about Hyrule than anyone else did.

"It seems…" Sheik murmured, after a second of staring at Link's page in Hyrule Historia. "None of the Heroes share the same memories, save for a few. It looks like the 'hardened' Heroes, in a sense, are plagued by the past. These heroes also seem to be distanced, in a sense, from Dark Link."

"I can understand that," Link mumbled, frowning. "I don't feel like cuddling up to Dark like he seemed to expect me to."

"Can we say this was an experiment gone wrong, then?" Zelda chimed in, staring at some text that highlighted herself and her many carnations, including her first as Hylia. "Whoever sealed your memories seemed to be testing, in a way, your aversion to Dark if you _did_ regain your memories."  
"It seems that whoever tested this theory was a sad scientist, indeed," Sheik mumbled. "Wouldn't it be wiser to separate the traumatizing memories and leave the good, if there were any? To set yourself in someone's mind, manipulate them, you would have to make them feel emotion towards you." Link knew, immediately, that Sheik and Zelda were dead to the world at this point, instead thinking deeper into their past intellects. Their past selves, rather than the memories of their past selves…

"Guys," Link said, wincing as their hardened eyes turned on him. "What if _memories_ aren't all that matter? I mean, I know memories make you who you are and stuff, but what about just general, imbedded personality? Whoever sealed my memories may have been trying to make me relive all of my past lives, but I'm still me, you know?"

Zelda blinked at him but Sheik nodded in understanding, frowning. "I believe I understand. Because the memories were not directly affecting you in any way—you know they happened rather than lived them—your personality still remains intact. It is impossible to recreate a Hero, is that what you're trying to say?"

"Exactly…"

Sheik's eyes widened as he thought, Zelda catching up a second later. "It's what the goddesses have been trying to do since the beginning of time… this person is trying to do what they couldn't do."

"That can't be right," Zelda mumbled, putting her head in her hands. "Unless that person has devised some master plan to keep their own memories perfectly intact while transferring their own personality, there is no way they can keep themselves, either. Without even attempting to seal memories, you get an entirely different person like Ghirahim and Byrne are. They have their memories, but…"

Sheik nodded, closing his copy of their social studies textbook. "Sealing the memories, like someone's done in our case, will result in a similar person who is not the original, but very close. My guess is that, over the years, the similarities had spread themselves thin, making it so that this Link," he gestured to Link with a pale hand, ignoring Link's unnerved glare, "has no relation to the original Link besides bits and pieces of their appearance, and their sense for justice."

Startling Sheik and Zelda, Link chuckled lowly at Sheik, his blue eyes suddenly shining. "Justice…" he murmured bitterly. "You use it so loosely. I… think I've remembered more now. Yes… defiantly _more… _Sheik, tell me, what is justice?"

"What is right…?" The blonde's voice was quiet, and he coughed and continued, his voice more confident. "Justice is righteousness, fair dealing."

"Which party?"

"What?"

"To which party is the justice given, from which party is giving the justice? Which party is arising the need for justice?"

"The party giving the justice," Sheik said, picking up on Link's sudden train of thought, trying to stop it in its tracks, "is the Hero. The party receiving the justice are the people of Hyrule. And the party causing the need for justice is—"

"Ganondorf. Demise, Ghirahim, Vaati," Link shook his head, thinking. "Zant, Yuga, for Nayru's sake, _Byrne,_ Cole…" Zelda sat forward, worrying at the increasingly distressed look on Link's face. Her blue eyes met shiny ones as Link continued. "Dark… Dark Link! My shadow, meant to fight me, meant to kill me! He served his purpose! He waited, he waited until my guard was down, he waited until I _trusted _him, and then he brought _justice_ and took me out of this world, only to be born again and relive. To relive _him."_

"Link, what are you saying?" Zelda struggled to keep her voice calm and even, not wanting to give away any distress to fuel his own.

"I'm saying… I'm saying that, somewhere along the line, the Hero met his end, I met my end, at the mercy of a pitch black blade and merciless crimson eyes that mirrored my own. That mirrored my shadow's."

Sheik stood up. "There's nothing new about this knowledge, Link. Is it bothering you differently, now?"

"Yes… I believed, truly, that Dark was no killer. I really did…" Sadness crept into Link's voice, but he stood to stand, looking down at the shorter blonde. "But, for _justice, _for Dark's own _justice,_ he constantly killed whatever Hero stood already inside of my mind. They all loved him, all but one. No… that one… some didn't. Some did… but the one knew…"

"All but one?"

"The one who knew the secret!" Link shouted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He knew more than the others, which is why he couldn't bring himself to love Dark! He _couldn't_ fall in love with that shadow! He knew so much more, so much more…" Link's blue eyes became clouded as he sunk back down into the sofa, covering his face with his arms. The teen seemed to curl in on himself, the stress of whatever he was reliving consuming him. It manifested in the form of tremors that rolled down his back and shook his whole body.

Zelda, cautious and shocked by Link's sudden outburst, leaned over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, talking quietly. When it was certain that he couldn't hear her, she looked up at Sheik.

"I want you to find Dark."

"You want me to find Dark, so that I can bring him here and revoke memories that would scar Link permanently?"

"Sheik, I believed that Link truly loves Dark—"

"You believe that a few, previous Heroes—the narcissistic ones, I should say—fell in love with their own shadows, their own dark reflections. Based on what Link has told us, we don't know how many Hero's actually loved Dark. A few at most actually felt something. I can safely assume some even refused to take their ancestor's memories."

"_Refused?_"

"Yes, refused. Just as Link could have easily refused Byrne's 'field trip' to the museum. I can also draw the conclusion that Dark was manipulating Byrne into that."

"What about Ghirahim's sparring lesson? The one Link told us about in the car?"

"I do believe that was purely Ghirahim's choice. I did not know the man personally, so I cannot tell. I did not know Byrne's former self, either, but I know enough to say that he was being rather spontaneous. A well thought-through plan, but an unprompted one nonetheless."

Zelda shook her head, as if refusing to believe this. "Dark sealed Link's memories, not the goddesses."

"The goddesses have gifted us with wisdom, and wisdom comes from experience. We have enough memories to allow us wisdom. Courage does not take anything but fearlessness that comes straight from the heart. Link's courage is something that does not need to be gifted in the mind, meaning that Link should receive no knowledge from the goddesses."

"Meaning that Dark sealed Link's memories…"

"To revive his lost lover."

"The one that he _killed_? What if the Link that loved Dark the most was killed by Dark, too? And that's what's keeping those memories so strong…"

"Perhaps, Zelda," Sheik said, standing up and moving towards the door. He placed his hand gently on the cold handle, thinking. "No better person to ask than the man himself."

* * *

_Okay, first off, sorry for the late and short chapter. It had a lot of plot, but I introduced it in an ultra boring way. Sorry. I'm going dialogue-happy with this story. _

_Thanks to all of my reviewers who've supported this story so far! You guys are keeping this story posted! Thanks! I am literally writing chapter 6 right now-meaning a few seconds after I published this chapter. _

_Third on my list of things to address: Hands of the Dead, my other Zelda Fanfiction (DarkxLink modern AU) is going on a editing "hold" of sorts. It's not gonna really be on hold, 'cause I _know_ I'm going to write without my own permission, but I'm going to be re-writing chapters 1-14. What's written of those chapters now is about 31K words, so that's going to take me a while to go through, each word, trying to make everything flow. Because of that, updates for this story will be spaced. Seriously. Don't flip if I suddenly disappear-I'm working to make my writing better. Once again, thanks to those who have reviewed- Desert_


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